USM School of Music offers free musical-theater film series

GORHAM, Maine – A free film series, starting Sunday, Jan. 26, will highlight the history of the American musical theater and feature some of its top productions, from vaudeville to the latest Broadway hits.

The series, which includes a range of movies from the first filmed version of “Porgy and Bess” to the award-winning “Rent,” is presented as part of a unique class being offered this semester at the University of Southern Maine School of Music.

“American musical theater mirrors all the great issues and struggles of our time,” instructor Christenia Alden-Kinne, who is teaching the class, said in a recent news release.

A total of 10 films will be presented at 2 p.m. on Sundays over the coming months, and they will be shown on a big screen at 10 Bailey Hall on the USM Gorham campus. Alden-Kinne will introduce each film to the audience.

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“These productions focus on such issues as racism, feminism and poverty, yet they also demonstrate our country’s irrepressible optimism,” she said. “These landmark musicals are beloved by audiences, and they have changed the way we look at ourselves.”

All showings are free and open the public. The film series schedule is as follows:

— Sunday, March 2: “Porgy and Bess” — the first filmed version of George and Ira Gershwin’s work, which uses George Gershwin’s own orchestrations; performed by the London Philharmonic and the Glenbourne Opera Co.; directed by Trevor Nunn.

— Sunday, March 9: “Oklahoma” — the London Royal National Theatre staging of the Rodgers and Hammerstein production; starring Hugh Jackman; directed by Trevor Nunn.

— Sunday, March 23: “West Side Story” — the Academy Award-winning film by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim; named Best Picture in 1961; one of the American Film Institute’s 100 best films of all time.